Wheel



Jan. 19 1926. 1,510,257

A. KAUFMANN WHEEL Filed July 29, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 7-, E v fur/672L250,

@redWmanw Jan. 19 1926. 1 A. KAUFMANN WHEEL Filed July 29 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fi/Zrccsses,

'two' similarly Patented Jan. 19, 1926.

ALFRED nor-MANN, or 'rnILAnELrnIA, 'rnnn'snvmxn.

WHEEL.

Application filed July 29, 1924. Serial No. 728,885.

To'all whomdt may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED KAUFMANN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in lVheels, of which the following is a specification.

One object of my invention is to provide in a quick and economical manner a disc wheel which will be particularly suitable for toy vehicles. 7

Another object is to so make my improved wheel that it will be strong and durable even though made out of exceptionally thin sheet metal.

' A further object is to so form said wheel that it will readily allow .attachment of a rubber tire and will run true.

These objects and other advantageous ends which will be set forth hereinafter, I attain in the following manner, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an inner face view of one of two similarly formed disc sides of my improved wheel,

I igure 2 is acentral sectlon of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a face view of a flat metallic cut strip illustrating one stage in the operation of making a disc-binding ring which forms a part of my present invention,

Figure at is a face view 'of the strip shown in Figure '3 illustrating another stage in the operation,

Figure '5 is a face view of the finished ring,

Figure 6 is a face view of a reinforcing washer for the discs, which I preferably employ, y

Figure 7 is a. cross section of the wheel in one of the stages of manufacture,

Figure 8 is a cross section, of the-completed wheel,

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary section of'a portion of Figure 7, a

Figure 10 is an enlarged. fragmentary section of a portion of Figure 8, V

Figure 11'is a view showing the blank from which the hub bushing is made, and

Figure 12 is aface view 0 the hub bus ing before its ends are beaded or; spun.

In makingv my improved. wheel and by reference 'to the accompanying drawings, formeddiscs 15-and 16 are them by. dies from sheet made by ressing these discs has a bulged metal. ach of securing the hub ca .provide scarfed portion 17 which includes a flat central portion 18a When the discs come from the dies they'have holes centrally located-within the portions 18 of diameters shown by the dot-and-dash line circle 19 in Figure 1. f

A washer 20, of a*'shape clearly Sh0WIfin- Figure 6, is then placed, against the outer surface of each of the port1ons 18, and the metal of the portions 18 is punched or pressed to project a flange 21 through .the 05 hole. 22 of the washer, thus causing the hole 19 to be enlarged, and to securely. hold. the washer to the portion 18 in a position surroundingthe flange 21. This action is done on each of the disc sides of the wheel. Each of the washers 20 has a notch 23, and in punching the flanges. 21 I through the washers, portions- 24 of the flanges 21 are bulged so as to fit within the notches 23, thus forming keys preventing relative rotation between the discs and the washers. .Also when the discs 15 and 16 are pressed into the shape by the dies as previously described, ears 25 are cut and ressed outwardly at a slant as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and these ears serve as retaining means for hub caps such for example as the hub cap indicated at 26 in dot-and-dash lines in Figure 8. It will be notedthat the hub cap-is applied to theouter side of the wheel in accordance with the side of the vehicle to which the wheel is attached. In

.applying the hub cap it is merely necessary to bend two of the four ears at right angles to theportion 18* after which the flange of the hub cap can be slipped under the other two of the ears and then the two cars which had" previously bent outward can be bent back again into their normal positions in place. This latter action 'of. course is one afterthe wheel is applied to the vehicle. I

It has been previously descrilied how the disc sides are-made and I will now describe *the continued stages in" the manufacture of the wheel. 7

A flat strip of thin metal, which is preferably slightly resilient, is cut in the form shown in Figure 3, said cutting at one end including a notch-27 and at the other end a tongue 28. The end having the tongue 28 projecting therefrom is notched at 29 to or beveled edges 30 anda eater width than projecting portion 31 0f strip has been the tongue 28. After t e .of t e strip and fitting snugly within the channel to produce the ring.

Each Qfl the discs 15 and 16 has an annular groove 33 which is formed by the dies when thdiscs are first pressed as previous ly described. Said grooves 33, as shown in cross section in Figures 2, 7 and9, provide annular shoulders 34 which in cross section extend substantially at right angles to the inner surface portions 35 or in other words,

are substantially parallel withthe axes of the discs. Furthermore, the grooves 33 are produced at the outer edges of the discs so that the outer edge portions 36 of the discs are substantially parallel to the shoulders 34. The inner surface of the portion 37 of the ring is of a diameter similar to the diameters of the shoulders 34 of the discs so that when two discs are placed together in the position shown in Figures 7 and 9, the portion 37 of the ring will snugly fit against the shoulders with the flanges 32 within the respective grooves 33. By hav- *ing the shoulders 34 as illustrated, two of the disc sides can be quickly and accurately slid into position so that the flanges 32 will be embraced by the walls of the grooves 33 with the portion 37 firmly mounted in position' surrounding and contacting with the shoulders 34. p

I, preferably make the hub 38 by first forming a bushing 39 as shown in Figure 12, the bushing being rolled from a piece of metal cut and stamped in the form shown in Figure 11, said plece of metal having one edge beveled as shown at 40, the'beveling forming an indentation while the opposite end 41 is beveled outwardly so that when the metal is rolled into the form shown in Figure 2, the edges 40 and 41 will form a parting extending at a slant as clearly illustrated. '1 also preferably provide the hub bushing with two rows of lugs 42 and 43, said ,lugs being pressed from the material. One of the lugs in each row includes an extension 44 and these extensions are adapted to project within the notches 45 formed by the portions 24 of the flanges 21. When the hub bushing A is inserted through the holes provided by theflanges 21, the lugs 42 and 43 form abutments for the portions 18 of the discs and the opposite the flanges 32 within portions of the discs as shown in Figures 8 and 10. This spinning action is accom'plished by maintaining the discs in the spaced position shown in Figure 7, either by first beading or spinning over the opposite ends of the hub bushing as previously described or by keeping said discs in said spaced position by other means. During the spinning of the outer portions of the discs to interlock the'flanges 32, portions of the discs are pressed to close the grooves 33 and to force the edge ortions 36 inward toward the portion 3 of,

the ring, the outer parts 46 of the discs also being pressed during the spinning action so that the flanges 32. are compressed between the portions 36 and 46 as clearly shown in Figure 10. I preferably employ the hub as a holding means for the discs during said latter spinning action, in other words, 1 preferably insert the hub and bead or spin its outer edges so that the final stage is the spinning of the peripheral parts of the discs and compression of the flanges 32. Furthermore, this action causes the truing of the wheel and the space'47 will have smooth walls allowing arubber tire to be inserted therein, said rubber tire not being illustrated in the drawings,

By forming the parting of the hub bushing-by the edges 40 and 41, the parting will be at a slant and consequently at,no time will the weight of the vehicle be upon the entire parting as would be-t'he case if said parting extended from end to 'end' of the.

bushing in a straight line. J In manufacturing my improved is an easy matter to interlock the ends of .the ring, insert-the hub bushing, and move.

'75 outer edge portions of the discs so as to lock wheel, it

the discs together so as to embrace, within the grooves 33, the flanges 32. The discs can thenibe held together either by heading over the ends of the bushings or by other means, and the peripheral'portions of the discs can then be s un to interlock and compress the flanges o the ring. Furthermore,

by making the ring of metal which is slightof opening up or accidental movement of the adjacent end portions.

use

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A disc wheel of the character described including two sides with annular grooves.

near their peripheries, the portions of the Walls of the grooves nearest the axis providing annular shoulders; and a ring having a central annular portion with parts thereof extending into said grooves and fitting against said shoulders, said ring being surrounded by and compressed between the Walls of said grooves at a position outwardly from said shoulders.

2. Awheel of the character described including a rim made of strip material having outwardly projecting side flanges providing a tire-receiving channel, one end portion of said strip material having a slot, theother end having a portion projecting beyond the ends of said flanges and forming a hook, said hook engaging through said slot.

3. A wheel of the character described including a rim made of bent strip material and having flanges connected to the sides of the wheel to provide an outer channel, the ends of said strip being hooked together.

4. A disc wheel of the character described including a disc having a central hole surrounded with a flange; and ,a reinforcing washer surrounding the flange and having a notch, a portion of the flange extending into said notch.

5. A wheel of the character described in-- cluding a disc having a central hole sur-'- rounded with a flange; a reinforcing washer surrounding the flange and having a notch,

a pressed portion of the flange extendinglgd into said notch; and a hub extending through the hole provided by said flange and having a'lug fitting within said pressed portion of the flange whereby the disc, washer and hub are held against relative movement. A

6. A wheel of the character'described ineluding two discs with their central porspreading, said hub having lugspressed outwardly therefrom for engaging the inner.

surfaces of said central portions of the discs, certain of said lugs having parts which extend within said depression in the flanges to prevent relative discs and hub.

rotation between the- 7. A disc wheel including a central por- A tion for the hub and a plurality of ears cut and pressed outwardlyto allow a hub cap to be secured to said central portion.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALFRED" KAUFMANN. 

